Thursday, November 19, 2009

Police Action Proves Effective in Westgate

A quick note on policing in Westgate after my meeting with Inspector Pearson today.

The headline figures are a reduction in both criminal damage and violence against the person since prompt action was taken last month. Criminal damage is down 134% and violence is down by 50%. The other good news is that across Thanet in general crime is going down.

It appears then that the arrival of the TASK team and the removal of the bench in Station Road has had the desired effect and I'm optimistic that with the dispersal order in place and the arrival of a new 'beat' officer in Westgate, that we have gone a long way towards solving a problem that was steadily getting out of hand.

Clearly, in contrast to other towns such as Whitstable and Herne Bay, where the police are having to deal with anti-social behaviour and intimidation from groups of up to one hundred youths, we represent a very minor problem here in Westgate but none-the-less, I'm delighted by the prompt response given by Kent police and have, with my two other fellow Westgate councillors, King and Goodwin, written to the local area commander, John Molloy, in Maidstone, thanking him for his intervention, which was encouraged by the support of our MP, Roger Gale.

For those readers who may be interested, the BBC accompanied the police TASK team as they dealt with anti-social behaviour in Herne Bay and this programme will be shown on the BBC at 7:30pm next Monday evening, I'm told.

On a completely different subject, I've just had a chat with Cllr King and it appears that there's enough funding now in place to support the Christmas lights for another year with generous support once again from among the traders and Darren Ellis. If there's a shortfall, then the ward councillors and county councillor, Robert Burgess are prepared to dip into the small reserve fund that each of us has for such eventualities and worthy causes.

Also, I've decided to withdraw the objection I planned to make against the houses to be built on the site in Harold Avenue, on the basis that houses represent the lesser of two evils, given the fact that planning permission already exists for two blocks of flats. As the residents appear happier with homes rather than two concrete apartment blocks, I don't plan to stand in their way by making a challenge.

22 comments:

Anonymous
said...

The real test of police effectiveness can only be answered by the question 'Do the people of Westgate, who are out and about at the relevant time of night, feel safer?'. If the reply is positive then their action can be judged successful. The bare statistics without detail do not tell any story other than an analyist is good at maths. How can a third more offences have been detected than were committed? Sadly such figures will then mean that the TASK resource will be redeployed to another location identified as a hotspot and within three months or so you will be remaking your request on behalf of local residents who no longer feel safe.

It is a sad fact that the 'roundabout of neighbourhood policing' is the only way that the police can cope with their limited resources. The fact is that Westgate is low on the police stats radar compared to other areas in Thanet and rightly TASK moves. It is also a fact that disorder is displaced by policing activity therefore it would be sensible to have a TASK team that deploys randomly and for short periods to 'hotspots' so that the 'yob' element is kept on the move.

The provision of local authority facilities only appeals to a certain element of youth. It is unfortunate that police have to become involved in what in former years was the clear responsibility of parents.

Good news, Simon, on problems in Station Rd and concerning the Christmas lights. Well done.I hope the residents in Westgate appreciate the efforts of two of their Ward Councillors and will re-elect you both in 2011. However, is there not a 3rd Councillor representing Westgate? Perhaps he needs to raise his profile?

It's now winter so the yobs will go home instead of congregating outside of Edwards!

As for Policing; moving them on does not solve a problem, it moves it! Ask the residents of Linksfield Road and Lymington Road. They are also in your catchment area Councillor! Not that we have ever seen you up here!

And the invisible Cllr Goodwin should be aware as he used to live in this area! But of course that is before your time!

Please don't try to say that effective policing is moving it into a different place. With your e.crime background even you must understand that this is just political hogwash!

I thought, 'creature of the night' that I would allow your comments so that other readers could appreciate your vitriol or perhaps sympathise with your insomnia.

Lymington and Linksfield are of particular interest and strangely enough to the police officer involved as he lives close to both. Apparently these two areas are quieter than before in terms of reportable incidents.

On the statistics, I did ask about this but I couldn't get detail on the exact period and so I suspect I have a result against the moving average. Either way, it wasn't that important as the trend is clearly down and should you wish to write to me separately and politely, then I will ask the police to be more explicit.

Whether your obsession involves folowing me around Westgate, I don't know; it wouldn't surprise me if it did! However the implication that I don't visit your area is quite false, unless you think it's another councillor on the occasional estate walkabout

It is a shame that there is so much vitriol over local politics. It is no wonder that a political elite has developed as I for one would not feel my efforts were worth the candle if my light were being 'put out' despite my best efforts.

However this conversation very clearly illustrates Harold Wilson's adage of 'lies, dammed lies and statistics' and is an object lesson in the use of statistics to support an arguement. The point being that whatever percentage supports your argument, that mount subtracted from 100 is against you. We hear national politicians falling over themselves with glee on picking up an opponent in just this way. The sad thing is that even the ONS is not an agreed source and we all pay for their efforts. Perhaps a cost saving for the future!

I READ WITH THOUGHTS THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN WESTGATE WALK AROUND WITH THERE EYES CLOSED ,BECAUSE IF MY MEMORY IS RIGHT IT WAS CLLR GOODWIN WITH OTHERS THAT SET UP THE LIGHTS IN WESTGATE WHEN THERE WERE NONE PLUS HE WORKS VERY HARD FOR THE PEOPLE OF WESTGATE ,JUST ASK THE PEOPLE OF WESTGATE NOT THE FEW WITH MINDS OF A CAT OR LOWER IT IS PEOPLE LIKE THAT THAT GIVE THE COUNCILLORS AND THE COUNCIL A BAD NAME SO PLEASE RETHINK WHAT YOU SAY OR PRINT

Cllr Goodwin is recognised for his efforts in the Christmas lights; and sod all else.

He was a resident in Westgate, and was happy to have his pic in the papers ( opening of an envelope is the expression I believe!) but has gone rather quiet these last two years.

Good to see that the poor shop keeper in Lymington Road has had his shop window smashed again: third time in two years, but that the yobs in Station Road have been moved on. Back to Lymington Road and Linksfield! Thanks very much Doc!!!

Try getting your head together with a police force that actually do something! ie ENFORCE THE LAW OF THIS COUNTRY!!!!

Cllr Goodwin is recognised for his efforts in the ... Cllr Goodwin is recognised for his efforts in the Christmas lights; and *** ***.

He was a resident in Westgate, and was happy to have his pic in the papers (***!) but has gone rather quiet these last two years.

Good to see that the poor shop keeper in Lymington Road has had his shop window smashed again: third time in two years, but that the yobs in Station Road have been moved on. Back to Lymington Road and Linksfield! Thanks very much Doc!!!

Try getting your head together with a police force that actually do something! ie ENFORCE THE LAW OF THIS COUNTRY!!!!

Thank you for drawing my attention to the broken window in Lymington Rd. I was over there this morning speaking to the shopkeepers who tell me that anti-social behaviour is down from what it was. The window at the general store was, I'm told, broken by three children one evening.

I can't see any hard evidence of Anti-social behaviour being displaced back to Lymington and Linksfield roads but the traders have my number and have been asked to let me know if they have problems, so I can inform the police.

Thought you would like to know that Sunday night in Lymington Road saw the Londis Store's garage broken into, and the unoccupied house on the corner of Lymington Road and Linksfield the subject of an arson attack!

But no crime up here.

Also, I have pointed out your blog to the lady at the General Stores. As they had no idea who broke their window, they hope that you will pass the information you have about the three children that caused the damage, onto the police.

“The primary object of an efficient police is the prevention of crime: the next that of detection and punishment of offenders if crime is committed. To these ends all the efforts of police must be directed. The protection of life and property, the preservation of public tranquillity, and the absence of crime, will alone prove whether those efforts have been successful and whether the objects for which the police were appointed have been attained.”

Sir Robert Mark

This does not mean being big heroes and moving a problem from one place to another. It means the police doing their job and upholding the Common Law of the country. And that means, arresting offenders!! There I said it. Arresting people!! Oh I bet that the kent Police will wonder what that word means.

They will find the funny word 'arrest'in the same dictionary as the one with the words 'laws of the land' and 'accountability'.

11:25 - I'm aware of the vandalism at Londis as Mr Patel called me and I passed the police.

The general store also has my number.

Of course there's crime and vandalism and this is one more unfortunate example of such but in contrast to what was happening around the centre of the town in terms of the sheer number of incidents, the figures are demonstrably less than they were.

Any criminal damage or vandalism is not acceptable to the community but short of having a police officer present on every corner 24*7 all I can do is encourage the police to patrol as often as resources allow.

For someone you constantly accuse of having no interest in an not visiting your part of Westgate, I appear to be remarkably well-informed, wouldn't you agree!?

Yes you are well informed because you react to comments on your blog, and then get calls from Mr patel.

If you had any interest in the shops in this area, then you might have visited sometime in the last two years!

You are just as invisible as the rest of the councillors. And I look forward to the elections in 2011.

You may then get a big suprise, that the people of Westgate, South of the Canterbury Road vote for people that they know and trust. Not some Doctor who has a high opinion of himself; but people who know the area, and know the people!

I would say physician heal they self. But as you're not a real Doctor, that would be just rubbing salt into your wounds.

when you read all the remarks that dr moores puts on his blog site you would think he is god here there and everywere i surpose people do a lot of things to get in the lime light because all i ever read is dr m is here dr m is there has he a life or is it just to get his name up in lights i think this is because of local elections in 2011 i think so is this man god i dont think so but there is always one in the pack ?

i am so glad that people are seeing just what dr moores is about .a person who must be in the lime light at all time but never have a word said about himself a man who pops up just to get his name in the spotlight perhaps people will put this right in 2011 and see just how disliked this dr moores is we will see

sorry to keep coming back to this but having read this web blog over and over i am more sure it is a web site for dr moores only and he is some form of god and some one who have to be in the lime light all the time .empty words i think you dont have to seen to do your workmind you there are elections in 2o11 so this could be the reason why he is in the front line all the time but then 2011 will change because people of westgate remember who has done what